


A good opportunity

by imladrissun



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 02:49:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11221713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imladrissun/pseuds/imladrissun
Summary: After a few months at the estate, Magnum's job becomes a little more complicated than he expected.





	A good opportunity

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Most Beautiful Tide](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10737033) by [susiecarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/susiecarter/pseuds/susiecarter). 



Magnum didn't know what he was expecting. Higgins was exactly as you'd think he'd be, just his usual self. He still didn't know how to break it to the guys; sometimes he thought they knew, and other times, he didn't. 

He still teased Higgins about being Robin Masters when they were around, and made sure not to act different in any way. On the one hand, it was hard. On the other, anything else was unthinkable. Higgins was not someone who acted spontaneously, for the most part. He was someone who had tea every day as if even teatime was set in stone. 

Half the time Magnum felt relieved that Higgins tolerated him at all, much less wanted to be demonstrative. And all he really did during the day was kind of clap his shoulder in an odd, gentle way. Magnum had a kind of attachment to the gesture, even though objectively it was kind of weird. 

It just felt like Higgins. He didn't want him to act differently, really; that wouldn't have been the real him. At night, he could show up in Higgins' room as long as the light was off. Things weren't like he expected, after that. 

Magnum had always been the one making someone else feel loved, special--it was almost strange to feel it the other way around. Higgins actually had always seemed strangely strong, in ways Thomas couldn't define. He didn't care what other people thought of him, he was proud of being an outsider, of being British. He didn't have to feel any pressure to be 'doing well' after his military service. He was just himself. 

He could openly love Shelley and talk about art [Neo-classical or Byzantine, he liked those the most, it seemed, at least on certain days], and everyone thought him even more of a man because of it. He could also make Magnum feel cared for, in that dark room. He had worried Higgins would say it was childish, but he never said anything about it, really. He had just informed him he could 'have a moment of repose there', which apparently translated into something really different than what it meant in the USA. 

And the 'there' had been implied to be his room. It seemed appropriate that he had said it almost casually while telling some long, crazy story in his study, with Magnum slouched on the divan, just hanging out with him. He actually spent a lot of time with Higgins. Cases only came in on certain days, and the rest of the time was empty. 

At first Magnum had only visited Higgins at the big house once in a while, because he did seem to get very stressed out by his mere presence. But over time, during those first few months, Magnum just got lonely, and stopped caring. He would come by at that particular 'tea time' that Higgins seemed to observe, because he seemed much more relaxed then. 

He also had little plates of tiny sandwiches and cookies, and let Magnum eat some. After the first few times, he seemed to just expect him to come, and made up a whole plate of extra sandwiches. 

It was a offhand, small thing--almost unnecessary, but it hit him hard. Magmum hadn't had too many people do things like that for him. It was a little, unspoken, kindness; a gesture that seemed to say that he valued his company, and welcomed it, in some inscrutable stiff upper lip way. 

That was Higgins forte. Despite it, he seemed to be quite ready to deal with any emotional situation that cropped up. He always felt like Higgins had the upper hand, but it was in a good way. He trusted him to have it; it was in good hands.

He didn't dare say anything at night, really. What if he messed up? This wasn't like a typical relationship; Higgins had picked him to run the estate's security. And then he had let him stay, with the pretense of a 'Robin' forcing his hand. 

And then he had barely gone through the motions of denying that he was actually Robin himself. Higgins still didn't let him read his rough drafts, though. Thomas didn't blame him; art of any kind, even a potboiler, was a personal thing. 

The point was, Higgins didn't need him. He'd just decided he liked him at the beginning or something. He was more the type to relish solitude, not have a foreigner [and a vet at that] come over and shake everything up. And why hadn't he just picked someone British to be his security guy? 

Sometimes during tea Magnum had even made the mistake of asking too many questions about his life--not the what and where's but the 'whys'. For someone who loved telling stories, he had some hard limits.

Higgins would answer with an attempt at aplomb, but he could tell he didn't like it. It was as if he didn't want to talk about his own motivations. He'd stroke Thomas's hair, talk quietly until he could finally go back to sleep after a nightmare woke him up [and his inches away neighbor], but Higgins didn't want to tell him what drove him, what he loved in life the most, what he thought the point of it all was. 

He gave him pat, British-sounding answers, but Magnum knew there was a layer beneath that. He definitely could read him well, at this point. Higgins was very sensitive, in his way. Magnum felt like the last few months had been tough cases, one after another, and this new closeness with his friend was like a new, unexpected development. He spent more time at home, in Higgins' study than he did with the guys, sometimes. They had busy lives, and sometimes it seemed like all Thomas had were memories. 

If there was no case on, Higgins was surprisingly relaxed about life in general. It was only when he had some event going on, or Magnum had a case, that he got uptight. In the privacy of that book lined room, it seemed like time stopped, and often, he could finally sleep. While he joked that his stories were interminable when the guys were there, as they did, he valued their soporific effect. After a night reliving the past, he could finally fall asleep listening to him. The room had this comforting, soft smell of bread, and cucumber and tea. It just felt safe.

**Author's Note:**

> **FYI I take commissions, just message me : )


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